This application claims the benefit of the filing date of applications nos. M 00 01 05379 and M 00 01 05380, both filed in Argentina on Dec. 1, 2000. This invention relates to means for mounting water closets on supporting surfaces such as walls, floors and other fixtures. The term xe2x80x9cwater closetsxe2x80x9d is intended to mean any contrivance for carrying off toilet discharges through a waste pipe below by the agency of water, and includes sanitary fixtures such as toilet bowls, bidets, urinals, wash basins and the like.
Bathroom toilets, for example, are generally installed by fitting the side or rear openings of the toilet bowl and anchoring it to the floor with bolts, attaching the toilet bowl with nuts and washers after previously inserting the trap discharge end into the floor drain. In general, supporting the toilet body on the floor requires certain precautions because of the fragile nature of the material of the toilet, and the nuts must be tightened carefully in order to avoid cracking or breaking the base of the bowl. Due to irregularities in the floor level or defects in the installation of ceramic tile or flooring, this type of installation causes formation of cracks or gaps between the supporting edge of the toilet and the toilet itself, which allows flushing water or waste matter, sewage, etc. to enter the inside of the toilet base and, in turn, allows odors to escape from the coupling between the trap and the drain line if this connection has not been properly sealed off.
This problem has generally been obviated by placing a gasket made of rubber, mastic or some other isolating material in the supporting area of the bottom edge of the toilet body, and for this reason the fixture must have been previously supported. Although this procedure provides a temporary solution of the problem, it is not very effective because the mastic tends to deteriorate or because the rubber gasket is not properly seated.
In general, the installation of toilets is not a complicated procedure because only a couple of screws or bolts are required to attach this type of fixture to the floor, and the joining of its waste outlet to the drain line is a simple plug-in procedure.
Most of these fixtures are installed with the bottom edge of the bowl resting on the floor, which tends to cause certain drawbacks because, in some cases, the floor has irregularities in the placement of the flooring or ceramic tiles, thus creating, along the supporting edge of the fixture, gaps or passageways for the flush water or for the escape of gases from the sewer line.
This drawback is usually remedied by placing an isolating material between the aforesaid edge and the floor, which makes it possible to isolate the interior of the bowl or base from the environment and which, at the same time, can be easily removed in order to take out the fixture whenever some problem occurs. To this end, it is also customary to apply, between the edge of the fixture and the floor, rubber rings that absorb the aforementioned irregularities between the floor and the edge of the fixture, but it is difficult to adapt them to the various models of fixtures currently on the market.
Despite the use of these elements, it has not proved possible to solve the problem of entry of water or filth into toilet bowls, which over time undergo deterioration due to the incomplete sealing of the fixture support, nor the problem that causes the escape of gases from the waste line.
In the following description toilet bowls are referred to for purposes of description, but it should be understood that the invention applies equally to other types of water closets as well.
In order to successfully maintain the proper installation of a toilet on the floor without using any kind of adherence by adding isolating materials, and in order to ensure rapid installation without any risk of cracking the toilet bowl, aside from floor irregularities, a feature of this invention comprises a toilet sealing gasket whose annular shape can be adapted to the shape of the various toilet models available on the market.
In one embodiment the sealing gasket of this invention consists of an integral annular member and has an essentially flat core serving as a supporting seat for the bottom edge of the toilet body. This makes it possible to correct for any irregularities that might be present on said edge and any differences in the bathroom floor level.
Surrounding the perimeter of this annular seat of the gasket is a small flange or projection that covers the perimeter of the outside edge of the toilet base, thereby preventing waste or water used for washing the floor from penetrating the inside of the toilet. The inside of said seat is also surrounded by a rib for sealing the inner surface of said base, thereby preventing the escape of gases and any waste water discharged for unforeseen reasons. The rib is slightly higher than the small outer flange of the gasket and has an inverted L-cross section with a vertical leg having a triangular cross-section which, in conjunction with its other leg connected to the inner edge of the seat, forms a means of hinging for purposes of providing slight flexibility with respect to the support of the toilet base.
This rib, located at symmetrically opposed points, is interrupted by respective cylindrical or oblong bushings that allow the passage of the toilet anchor bolts, with said bushings being located laterally from and toward the inside of the annular seat in order to allow for the free support of the toilet body.
In one embodiment the seat core has one trapezoidal projection and three or more sawtooth projections opposite a half-shaft rib.
In one embodiment the gasket consists of an integral member formed of molded plastic, preferably polyvinyl, rubber or a similar elastically formable material, with said member having an oblong annular section whose overall shape matches that of the lower supporting edge of a given fixture model and which delimits between its inner and outer edges a flat annular seat for supporting the fixture properly positioned along said edges, by means of a flange and a rib supported against the inner and outer surfaces, respectively, adjacent to the supporting edge of said toilet. The plastic member also includes a section of gasket and seal for connecting the toilet discharge line with the sewer line located on the floor, with said section, in one embodiment, being basically made up of an annular wall or area with concentric corrugations that has a circular inner lip for sealing off the point where the discharge line is connected to the sewer line, which on the exterior is connected to and superimposed on the annular toilet supporting seat and which, below the lip, has a vent-type boot for connecting said connection point with a lower support in order to prevent the escape of water or sewer gases.
In other embodiments, instead of the boot making up the section of gasket and seal for discharge line and sewer pipe, the gasket consists of a series of concentric ribs of varying heights that rest on the floor in order to prevent the escape of water or sewer gases and, instead of a lip, a tubular extension of an upper base connected to the annular seat.
In all embodiments this portion of gasket has a union with the annular portion of the gasket that allows for adapting to dimensional differences that might be present during the installation of the toilets or other sanitary fixtures.
Thus the invention provides a gasket for sealing the supporting edge of toilet bowls or bases against the floor, specifically a gasket for supporting the body of a toilet against the floor for isolating the inside of the toilet from the surrounding environment.
The subject of the invention is an oblong gasket or washer made of non-rigid material such as slightly elastic plastic, rubber or the like in order to ensure a tight fit with the irregularities of the aforesaid supporting edges of toilet bowls, as well as any other sanitary fixture, bidet, urinal, wash basin, etc., being attached to both the floor and the wall, as well as between fixtures, thereby producing a water-tight union that seals off the entire perimeter, preventing leakage of sewage and internal and external liquids. The material, which may have an anti-bacterial additive, provides a continuous and annular edge-supporting seat that allows for attaching said body without risk of deterioration of the material of the bodies, which is usually fragile.
This invention further relates to a gasket for supporting and sealing the bottom edge of the body of a toilet, which accommodates floor-anchoring bolts used for providing the proper support of the aforesaid body with respect to any irregularities in the floor, and provides an interstice seal created by supporting the body on the aforesaid seal by means of a small outer annular flange and another inner annular rib surrounding the supporting seat of the aforesaid bottom edge of the body.
The invention further relates to a gasket consisting of an annular member specifically designed to serve as a support for the bottom edge of toilet bowls and whose cross section has a flat seat so that it can be inserted between the aforesaid edge and the floor, and whose perimeter is in the form of a low projection that rests closely against the outer surface of the toilet body in order to prevent the entry or escape or deposit of water or sewage around the entire perimeter, with the inner edge of said seat being adjacent to the supporting edge of the body and intended to prevent the passage of gases from the line or pipe for evacuating matter carried by the discharge of water.
The invention further provides a gasket whose inner flange or rib for sealing the inner surface of the body is configured vertically above the supporting seat of the bottom edge of the body and has an L-shaped cross section with a triangularly shaped vertical leg for providing an inclined and broken outer flat surface at the level of the top edge of the seat, thus forming a protruding annular edge that together makes up an annular entrance in the joint of said vertical leg with a lower leg that is inclined toward the inside of the annular seat, being a means of hinging the vertical leg for its support against the inner surface of the toilet with respect to the support of the toilet against the gasket seat.
This invention further provides a gasket that can have various circumferential shapes so that it can be adapted to different models of toilets that consequently have different edge shapes on the lower support edges against the floor.
This invention further provides a gasket for the supporting edge of a toilet, as well as any other sanitary fixture, bidet, urinal, wash basin, etc., being attached to either or both the floor and the wall, as well as between fixtures, thereby producing a watertight gasket that seals off the entire perimeter, preventing leakage of sewage and internal and external liquids, with the material having an anti-bacterial additive, and providing a continuous and annular seat whose shape conforms with the supporting edges of various fixture designs, thereby making it possible to match up with manufacturing irregularities in said fixtures, as well as uneven floor levels, and means integral with said seat for sealing off the joint or coupling between the drain of the fixture and the waste line.
This invention further provides a gasket that is easily adapted to different toilet bowl models or designs, in that it consists of an integral piece of molded plastic, preferably polyvinyl, rubber or the like having slightly elastic characteristics in order to achieve a tight seal with respect to any irregularities present in the fixture, the floor or the piping.
This invention further provides an improved gasket of the type consisting of an oblong annular section made up of a ring with a flat area serving as a supporting seat for the bottom edge of the fixture surrounded by an outer flange providing contact with the outer surface of the fixture surrounding its supporting edge, and a vertical rib that surrounds the inside of said seat for its contact with the inner surface of the fixture, thereby forming a tight seal preventing the passage of water or sewage, with this annular section integrally connected to a gasket section and plug-in seal to the outlet of the toilet with the drain line, intended to provide a connection between both lines and to encompass the gasket by means of a circumferential wall that can be shaped to fit and seal against the floor.
This invention further provides a gasket that comprises a packing and sealing section located between the trap and the drain line, integrally connected to an annular seat equipped with a surrounding inner rib whose shape can be modified so that said gasket can be applied to various current designs of bathroom fixtures.
This invention further provides a gasket that, given its inherent features, offers other possibilities for simultaneously sealing the lower supporting edge of the toilet and the connection of the trap with the drain line, and that provides various embodiments adaptable to different models of bathroom fixtures currently on the market.